Thursday, January 29, 2015

This
series on writing tips, Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing, has been a
fantastic opportunity to pick up helpful information from talented authors. And
it has been a wonderful way to get to know writers and their books.

The
good news, “it ain’t over yet.” Originally
planned as a fall series, the
blog posts on writing tips continue into February.

I'm
looking forward to welcoming the following mystery authors:

FEBRUARY

5

Heather Haven

12

C. Hope Clark

19

Resources for Writers

Please
be sure to return for more writing tips in February AND more giveaways!

# # # #

Today it's my turn to offer up some writing tips that I've discovered in my
writing, publishing, and marketing experience.

Tips on Editing

Wouldn’t
it be wonderful if we could just write the first draft and be done with it? Actually,
no. I look forward to re-writing my
sentences. I derive a certain joy and heart flutter as I chop out words and
shorten sentences. And behold, at times, I have a revelation about the plot or
the characters. After saving the file, I sit back a minute to rest my eyes and breathe. At that time, I realize how fulfilling it is to play in my fictional
world.Some
days I do flounder for words. If it’s too much of a struggle to get anything on
the paper, I put away the story and ignore it. But that story creeps into my brain. Whether I am in the shower or on a
walk, my mind still turns over the what-ifs in the chapters. When I
finally see a way out of the mess I”ve created, I feel triumphant.It is so
much better to have a crazy mess of a story written for your first draft, than
to have a blank page. You cannot edit a blank page.

Tips on Marketing:

We are
all struggling to get our author names out into readers' minds and stir up interest in our stories. The best way to get readers interested in you is
to have your pages on all your social media include a bio about you. Make the
information sparkle so readers will get an insight into your personality. You’re
a writer. You can make your life interesting. But, don’t use fiction to tell
about yourself!

Include
your profile on Facebook, Pinterest, Good reads, etc. Use the same author photo
on each site for instant recognition. Articles suggest you use a photo of you,
not your book cover or avatar, so readers can “meet” you.

Be sure
your photo and bio are on your blog/website “above the fold” because people are
naturally curious to know more about you. Make it easy for them to find you.

While
you are writing your bio, go ahead and write a tagline with just a few lines,
a short one with fifty words, a medium one hundred words, and a long bio of 300
to 500 words. Place all of these on your media page on your
blog/website so when you are a guest on a blog, radio show, podcast, webinar,
or TV, your host can choose what works
best for his/her event.

After writing feature
articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years,
J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction. Her published mysteries are Sunshine
Boulevard, and Coda to Murder
released by MuseItUp Publishing. When J.Q. isn’t
writing, she enjoys photography, playing Pegs and Jokers board games, and
traveling with her husband. They spend winters in Florida and summers up north
camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and
granddaughter.

and major online booksellers.Remember to leave a comment to enter to win the giveaway! Follow this blog to get alerts about new blog posts about the series and more articles about writing, publishing, marketing. Thank you.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

I'm getting ready to publish a series on vegetable gardening. No it's not a mystery series, but rather a few booklets with quick tips to help vegetable gardeners grow a more productive garden filled with delicious, healthy veggies.

My DH was raised on a farm in Central Illinois. He grew to love gardening as a kid. His passion for growing plants led us (yes we were co-business owners) into the greenhouse, garden center, and floral business. I decided to share his love of vegetable gardening on a blog several years ago. I enjoyed taking pictures, sharing tidbits about our garden, and offering good gardenng practices I gleaned from Gardener Ted.

I have heard so much about writers turning blogs into books, I decided to try it for myself. My DH is my consultant and listed as Gardener Ted.

Question 1-Have you ever gone from blog to book?

Question 2--If you have, what were your results?

Question 3--I am now in the process of finishing Part 1 of the series, Starting Your Garden. When the booklet of about 3000 words is edited, would you like a copy to review? I would so appreciate your feedback. Leave a message for me in the comment or email me so I'll know to send you the final galley. email jqrose02 at gmail dot com

Below I have posted a few ideas for book covers. It's hard to remember these book covers will be shrunk down to an inch tall when the book is listed for sale on amazon. So I have tried to make them pretty simple with readable text. I used The Print Shop 22 to create the designs. The row of garden plants photo is my photo. The other two are from freedigitalphotos.net. I attribute the single seedling photo to amenic181 and the hands holding the seedling to adamr. If I choose one of the professional photos I will purchase the rights to use it.

Question 4--I am not sure how to list Ted on the book cover. At the moment it reads "J.Q. Rose with Gardener Ted." Should I put his name on it without the "with?"

Question 5--Which book cover do you believe would catch the reader/gardener's eye? Please choose one and leave a comment below. Thank you.

Book Cover 1

Book Cover 2

Book Cover 3

Please leave a comment below about your choice of book cover. Thanks.If you would like to join me in this indie publishing project, subscribe to this blog for updates on the progress.

Please share this post with your friends and family who are into gardening OR who like to look at book covers! Thank you!

This Week:

Thursday, January 29--The guest author for the Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing series is, um, let me check. Oh, it's me! I guess I'm not a guest, but I do have writing tips for you. Come back on Thursday and you can choose to win one of my mysteries or to read the first three chapters of my Work in Progress. This WIP is a mystery, romance, and paranormal and so much fun to write. C ya' then!

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Hello and welcome to the series, Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing.

I am thrilled to present writing tips from award-winning author Helena Fairfax. Helena came all the way from the UK to share her advice on writing. She will give a $5. Amazon Gift Card to a lucky commenter. The winner will be drawn after 9 pm EST on Sunday evening. (That's 2 am Monday in the UK, I believe.)

# # # #

Welcome Helen. Congratulations on your just released romance,A Way from Heart to Heart!I believe it's a bit warmer here in Florida than in your hometown in England. So get comfy in your chaise lounge as we enjoy the warm beach and soak up the sun in the Sunshine State. Now let's talk about writing.Thank you, Janet.

Please
share a “light bulb moment” about your writing experience.

In my early days of writing I would often get an
idea from somewhere in the ether and start writing away, but these days I’m far
more structured, and I work out my characters and central conflict in a
deliberate way, as though I’m doing a puzzle. Having said that, I often get
ideas when watching films or television. My mind is quite relaxed in that
state, and something in the programme I’m watching might set off a chain of
thought. For example, we have a TV programme in the UK called “The Hotel
Inspector”. It’s about an expert in hotel management who goes round ailing
hotels trying to rescue them. This sparked off an idea in my head, and my
present WIP is about an ailing hotel in the Lake District, in the north of
England.

What
is the best advice for writers that you have received?

The best advice for budding writers is to sit down
and write. A lot of people say they’d write a novel, if only they had time.
Writers make time, and they get the words on the page, even if it’s only a
couple of hundred a day.

My Writing Tip by Helena Fairfax

CHARACTER
and STRUCTURE go hand in hand when writing a romance novel. I wrote my first
novel, The Silk Romance, as part of a
scheme for new writers run by the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association. One of
the best tips I learned from my reader in this scheme is that a romance novel
is character-driven, and not plot-driven.

What
does this mean, you might ask. Well, all successful stories revolve around
some sort of conflict. The conflict could be James Bond versus the bad guys, or
Snow White versus the evil stepmother, or Sandra Bullock versus the laws of
physics in outer space. Think of any book or movie you’ve enjoyed, and the
story will be strong on some sort of conflict.

In
a romance novel, the conflict lies in the nature of the characters themselves,
and not in the plot or any outside forces. To give the classic example, take Pride and Prejudice. The title says it
all: Mr Darcy is too prejudiced to offer for Lizzie Bennett, and Lizzie is too
proud to accept him when he finally does propose. There is nothing else to keep
this couple apart, apart from their own character flaws.

When
I start writing a romance novel, what I do first
of all is decide on the nature of the conflict between my hero and heroine.
For example, in The Antique Love, my
heroine is the owner of an antique shop in London. She’s romantic, passionate
and a strong believer in love. My hero, Kurt, is strong, steady…and totally
logical. He believes only a marriage based on rational decisions will last, and
that passionate love is bound to burn out. As the story progresses, despite
their overwhelming attraction, the conflict between these two characters
deepens, keeping the reader turning the pages, trying to work out how on earth
the hero and heroine are going to reach a happy ending with such diametrically
opposed views of love.

In
my latest novel, A Way from Heart to
Heart, Kate Hemingway has suffered loss after tragic loss in her life. She
is determined to protect her young son George from further tragedy, and
believes falling in love will only risk more heartache for both of them. The
hero believes Kate should teach her son to embrace life and all its dangers,
and that only by accepting risk can we find happiness.

How
will the hero overcome the heroine’s fight to protect her son at all costs, and
enable her to love again?

A
great conflict is what makes a great romance story…and the greater the
conflict, the greater the joy of the reader when all ends happily!

# # # #

Romance, A Way from Heart to Heart

Back of the Book:

After the death of her husband
in Afghanistan, Kate Hemingway’s world collapses around her. Her free time is
spent with a charity for teenage girls, helping them mend their broken lives -
which is ironic, since her own life is fractured beyond repair.

Reserved, upper-class journalist
Paul Farrell is everything Kate and her teenage charges aren’t. But when Paul agrees to help Kate with her
charity, he makes a stunning revelation that changes everything, and leaves
Kate torn.

Helena Fairfax writes engaging contemporary romances with
sympathetic heroines and heroes she’s secretly in love with. Happy endings are
her favourite, and when one of her novels won a reader competition for
"The Most Romantic Love Scene Ever" it made her day.
Helena was born in Uganda and came to England as a child. She's grown used to
the cold now, and these days she lives in an old Victorian mill town in
Yorkshire, in the north of England. After many years working in factories and
dark, satanic mills, Helena has turned to writing full-time. She walks the
Yorkshire moors every day with her rescue dog, finding this romantic landscape
the perfect place to dream up her heroes and her happy endings.

Monday, January 19, 2015

His dream may not be completely realized, but because of his vision, we have made great strides

and continue to work on equality for all.

Working on my mystery novel

Good Monday morning to you! I'm all revved up with so many plans for writing projects in 2015. I moved from my desk to the dining room table to have my notes and pages easy to grab at a minute's notice. In this photo I am working on the mystery. Deadly Undertaking. Yes, it takes place in a funeral home. This is probably the biggest challenge I've faced in fiction writing with a story that includes, wait for it,...mystery, romance, AND paranormal. I'm having so much fun with it. My dear main character, Lauren, has sooooooooo many problems. I'll tell you more about it this month as I prepare the ms for submitting it to a publisher. After reading through and re-writing the ms two times and discussing it with my crit group, I have decided to let the story rest. When I get away from it for a couple of weeks, I will return and study the elements of the story with fresh eyes. Do you do that too? I still think about all the possibilities during those two weeks, so I guess that's not exactly letting it rest. Needless to say the characters are always with me! During this two weeks, I have not quit writing. Oh no. I'm in another project very close to my heart AND I have a co-author. My dear husband, (DH), who shall be known as Gardener Ted, is advising me on our new series of booklets on gardening tips for writers.

Gardener Ted's Harvest

I've heard about many folks who turn their blogs into books. I understand Word Press has a plug-in that will do it for you. I wrote a blog for several years about gardening, The Garden for Eatin', but stopped when I had to start marketing my fiction. I missed it.After writing mysteries and romance, I'm glad to be in the real world again! I enjoyed my life as a freelance writer with featured articles in newspapers, magazines, and online magazines. Getting entertaining information into the hands of readers is very satisfying for me. So, the idea of turning the blog into a series of gardening books was born.I'm excited to have my DH involved in the series. He IS a gardener. Not just a hobby guy. He is immersed in gardening. His dream was to garden twelve months out of the year, and now he is doing just that. We have an enormous garden up north and a smaller raised garden in the winter in Florida. With his knowledge derived from a lifetime of gardening, and as a greenhouse grower and garden center business man, he is a go-to guy for tried and true tips for gardening.

Spring Garden in Michigan

My plan was to copy/paste those brilliant blog posts into a ms and publish it to Amazon. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Not quite. Funny how my writing has changed a bit in the last three years. I have re-written and added to the posts, so the little project has grown. And I love it! Have you tried working your blog posts into a book or article? Please leave a comment and let us know about your experience.I hope to have the first book in the series, Starting a Vegetable Garden, done in a week. I plan to begin promoting it the first week of February, especially since the gardening season begins soon for most folks in this part of the world. I need to design a book cover for the series, but I have a problem. I haven't settled on a title for the series. With an eye to marketing, I'm trying to use keywords in the title as experts tell us. Here are a few ideas. Quick Tips for Vegetable Gardening, Tips You Can Use for Vegetable Gardening, Gardening Tips for Growing Vegetables, Quick Tips for Growing Your Vegetable Garden. Can you help me name this series? I'd appreciate your input.This Week:

Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing series

Thursday, January 22--Award-winning romance author Helena Fairfax shares helpful writing tips on character and structure for the series, Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing. Join us as we celebrate her just released romance, A Way from Heart to Heart. She will give a $5. Amazon Gift Card to a lucky commenter.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Hello and welcome to the Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing series.I am excited to have multi-published, award-winning business writer, Joan C. Curtishere. She put down her scholarly pen to write a mystery. And what a mystery it is. Joan's book, The Clock Strikes Midnight, is definitely a page-turner. I'm enjoying reading the relationship between the two sisters and can't stop wondering about who killed their mother. Delicious. Joan is donating her e-book, What Does It Take to Write, Publish, and Sell a Novel, as a door prize for a lucky commenter. The drawing will be after 9 pm EST Sunday evening.

# # # #

Welcome, Joan. Thanks for sharing your writing tips with us. You have included many helpful points for us.

Writing Tips by Joan C. Curtis

DIALOGUE

The
best advice I ever got about writing dialogue is to eavesdrop on conversations.
Not for the content, unless the content is particularly stimulating. Instead
for the expressions and word choice. When writing dialogue, it’s important to
distinguish your characters by their individual voices.

For
example, you may have a southern “redneck” character. That character speaks
very differently than your more sophisticated characters.

“I’m gonna carry my ma to the
market come Saturday evening.”

“I’m taking my mother to the
grocery store on Saturday afternoon.”

You
also want to be sure that your younger characters speak in an age-appropriate
way. Don’t have five year olds talking like adults or teens.

Years
ago, writers like Mark Twain used dialect. Today, readers will not tolerate
reading dialects. As writers, we must search for other ways to create realistic
speakers in the regions where we write. Here’s an example from a southern writer,
Mary Kay Andrews, He was sniffing like a
dog on point. ‘Are you cooking collard greens?’ he asked. Notice it was unnecessary
to drop the “g’s.” Readers can read without dropping “g’s.” I bet you did!

And
be sure to read your dialogue out loud.

Dialogue
can be the most fun to write. It’s through dialogue that characters take on
lives of own. They say things we sometimes don’t expect and if we’re doing it
right, in ways we don’t expect!

CHARACTER

I’ve
been credited with creating meaningful characters in The Clock Strikes
Midnight. Let me share a few tips about the way to create characters readers
can relate to.

First,
you must allow the characters to create themselves. Once the person hits the
stage in your story, give them the freedom to be who they are. Don’t force
yourself onto them. That sounds strange, but if you give it a go, you’ll
understand.

Next,
as your character emerges, ask yourself questions like, what does this person
value, what are his/her goals, how does this person add to the story, in what
ways does this person help add to or exacerbate the conflict, how is this
character different from the others in the story, what kinds of things does this
character like to do, what are his/her work, hobbies. Many writers create bios
for their characters. I do not do this until the character is fully formed in
my mind through the writing of the story.

Third,
make sure the dialogue and action are consistent for the character. I’ve had
Beta readers say things like, “I did not expect this character to say something
like that. It seemed odd and jarred me.” When I hear that critique, it is clear
I got in the character’s way. Readers are great at catching these slip-ups.

Fourth,
move away from the story long enough to ponder the character. I like to think
about my character while walking or swimming. In those situations I can let my
mind travel and my imagination run free. That’s when I’ve had the greatest
insights into a character’s behavior or action.

Fifth,
if a character is tapping you on the shoulder to do something, do it. In The
Clock Strikes Midnight, I had decided to write from two points-of-view: Janie’s
and Marlene’s. They were the two main characters in my story. Throughout the
writing, their mother kept tapping me on the shoulder, wanting to have her say.
I ignored her until the writing came to a complete halt. At that point I gave
in and created a new section of the book strictly from the mom’s point-of-view.
Readers have told me how valuable that section was to their understanding of
the story.

Sixth,
people say if you dream in another language, you have mastered the language. In
my experience if you dream about your characters, you’ve created real people.
Have you ever dreamed about them?

I’ll
end with a quote about characterization from DL Doctorow. He said, “Writing is
an acceptable form of schizophrenia.”

SETTINGS

The
one tip I’ll share about setting is to make it as real as possible without
taking away from the story. For some books the setting is the story, example:
Under the Tuscan Sun. For most books, however, setting sets the stage. I think
of it as the “set” on a stage, to reverse the concept.

Some
writers write their setting so well, it becomes almost another character in the
story. For example, I love the “cold” mysteries—those set in Sweden, Iceland
and other such cold places. There, the weather and the setting are so powerful.
It sets the stage for a chilly mystery. Henning Mankell did that expertly in
his Detective Wallender series. Steig Larsson also created an amazing setting
in The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo series. Very cold, very ominous.

Cozy
mysteries often have cozy settings, in cute little towns or villages. Those
help create the theme. Murder happens even in the warmest of places.

As
writers we must think about where our action occurs. It can’t just occur in a
vacuum. Settings puts the reader somewhere and gives them a foundation for the
action.

EDITING

Somewhere
I read that creativity lies in the writing and genius in the editing. For me
the truth lies somewhere in between.

As
a writer I cannot think about editing as I’m writing. I must create and get
what I’m writing on paper or on my computer screen. I suggest this over and
over to new writers. If you write and then go back and edit, you waste lots of
time and disrupt your creative energy.

5
Tips on Editing:

1)Nothing
you write for the first time is perfect. Re-write and re-write.

2)Do
not edit until you are out of the creative mode. I usually write freely and then
the next day, I read what I wrote the day before. Not to edit, but to put me
back in that place to continue creating. On the third or fourth day, I’ll go
back through with an eye toward some light editing, but primarily putting in
things that I left out. I do not completely edit until the manuscript is
finished. I’ve often described it this way. I have on my “Creative Hat” in the
beginning. Later, I put on my “Editor’s Hat.” The two require different kinds
of thinking.

3)Listen
to what your readers say or what your editor says. Even though you are the
author and you have the final say, often readers and editors have excellent
suggestion.

Four times business book author, Joan C. Curtis,
releases her first mystery/suspense title, The Clock Strikes Midnight.

Mystery Author Joan C. Curtis

Her
first-place book awards include: Best mystery manuscript in the Malice Domestic
Grants competition and best proposal for nonfiction in the Harriette Austin
competition.

Joan has been an avid reader for as long as she
can remember. She reads all kinds of books, including women’s fiction,
mysteries, biography, and memoir. Her passion as a reader lies closer to
literary writing with a commercial bent. She writes books she would love to
read.

“I write about characters who remind me of myself
at times and my sister at times, but never fully so. My stories are told from a
woman’s point of view. Characters drive my writing and my reading.”

Having grown up in the South with a mother from
Westchester County New York, Joan has a unique take on blending the southern
traditions with the eye of a northerner. She spent most of her childhood
in North Carolina and now resides in Georgia.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Do you know that I'm a movie star??? Yes, it's a fact, and I can prove it by introducing you to the man who made it possible, my producer, Owen McCuen. Owen has kindly agreed to visit the J.Q. Rose blog to answer any questions about his work and the process of how he made me a movie star.

Actor and Narrator Owen McCuen

Now, puh-leeze, people, Owen is NOT an author, or anyway, he isn't promoting a book. So be kind to him, okay? He's not used to appearing in this capacity. He's usually on video as an actor, or he is behind the scenes as a narrator for audible books. Here's more about this talented (and may I add, handsome?) guy.

About Owen:Owen McCuen began his voiceover career in 2004 with coaching
from the renowned vocal coach Joanne Joellla. Under her guidance, Owen earned
roles in radio and internet commercials for companies like NJ Lottery, Giant
Foods, Lacroix Restaurant, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Tozour Energy Systems, and
Tremor Video.

Following Joanne’s advice, Owen expanded his skill set by
working on camera as an actor. This led to dual roles as actor/narrator for
Rita’s Water Ice, UMDNJ, Learning Ally, Trending Accessibility, and Einstein
Creative. Now managed by VS Talent Group in Mt. Holly, NJ, Owen continues his
acting and voiceover career with challenging roles in front of the camera as
well as behind the microphone.

Owen’s newest role is that of audiobook narrator. “Noble the
Moose Was a Bully” is a pre-K tale about bullying; character voices abound. But
one of the most nuanced performances to date is the thriller “Itsy Bitsy
Spider” by Kimberly Shursen. Steady exposition and lively dialogue give
listeners the opportunity to experience Kimberly’s expert storytelling,
even when they are unable to focus on the written page. ACX has provided the
opportunity for Owen and Kimberly to work as a team to bring “Itsy Bitsy
Spider” to life.

It wasn’t long before Owen connected with author Miss Mae on
her fantastic family-friendly book, “Ahoy Gum Drop!” The author’s imagination
paints a vivid picture of foreign lands and quirky characters. Over a dozen
unique voices spring to life in this audiobook adventure featuring the Mishaps
from Gum Drop Island. Intrepid internet reporter I.B. Nosey has jumped off the
page and into video as Owen, Miss Mae, and Patrick McCuen collaborate on
Nosey’s video interviews.

Listen to Owen's amazing voice characterizations in this book trailer for Ahoy Gumdrop! (It's okay to giggle outloud.)

I.B. Nosey,
Intrepid Internet Reporter

# # # #

Yikes, his bio includes his work with I.B. Nosey, the official unofficial cyberspace reporter who is the only nominee and title-holder of the Pukelitzer Award.

Welcome, Owen, to the J.Q. Rose blog. I'm delighted you're here and are willing to answer some interview questions.

My pleasure, J.Q. Ask away.

Who or what influenced you to become an actor?

I've been doing voices,
impressions, and accents since I could talk, I think. Voice acting and
performing have been "my thing" for as long as I can remember, mostly
influenced by Mel Blanc and The Muppets' Jim Henson, Frank Oz, et al. Kermit
the Frog is pretty much my hero.

I finally got interested enough to investigate
a career in voice acting back in 2004. Joanne
Joella is a voice coach and performer in the Philadelphia area. I began
training with her in 2004 and she gave me my first opportunities in voiceover.
Her ability and integrity as a coach were everything to me. Voice Acting is a
competitive business, so Joanne encouraged me to try acting on camera as well.
Acting gave me practice being expressive and taking direction, and has informed
my voice acting greatly. My career would not be what it is today without
Joanne.

What is your experience in this field?

I had some voiceover jobs in
2004/2005 and began acting on camera in 2010. My experience coaching kids at
The Little Gym, though, really gave me some OJT with crazy voices and getting
in and out of character at a moment's notice. Acting in independent films and
commercials have allowed me to meet some great people who needed narration for
their projects. My agent VS Talent Group has supported me immensely. I've also
narrated two audiobooks for audible.com ("Itsy Bitsy Spider" by
Kimberly Shursen and "Ahoy Gum Drop!" by Miss Mae).

Where do you perform?

I live in Southwestern New
Jersey, so I mostly work in the Philadelphia area, with a lot of my narration
done from home.

What is your best asset?

I am a very expressive person. I can be over the top or subtle, depending on the role.

What are you most proud of in your career?

That's hard to say because I'm proud of my work, especially when a creative person calls me back to do another project. On camera, I'd have to say that the independent short film "Like There's No Tomorrow" by Time to Back Out Productions is a highlight because I am the only actor on the screen for the entire 25 minutes. The film led me to connect with the horror movie podcast "The Last Knock" on which I was interviewed; That has led to some great friendships and even a role in the short film "Case # 5930". In voice acting, the narration of audiobooks has given me the professional weight I needed to take my career to the next level.

What are your goals for your career?

I am interested in being a working actor, both on camera and behind the microphone. With audiobooks, audio drama, commercials, and independent film experience, I believe I can achieve that goal. I want to earn interesting and challenging roles in projects large and small; to make people laugh, cry, think, or feel something and make a decent living doing it!

What is the process for recording an author’s audio book?

ACX.com is the technical wing of audible.com. Narrators, authors, and studios can create profiles on that website so that they can find the right match for their projects and talents. As a narrator, I upload samples of my narration and voiceover demos, and then peruse the available titles that are accepting auditions. If the rights holder (that's usually the author) likes my audition, we agree to terms and begin production. The terms are usually a named price per finished hour or a royalty share agreement. I'm open to either arrangement!

Please tell us about the intrepid internet reporter, I.B. Nosey, and
your videos for promoting authors and their books with this character.

Ah, from the mind of Miss Mae
comes I.B. Nosey, the official unofficial reporter! Our videos serve as a
promotional tool for folks who want to spread the word about their work. The
videos would be useful for any artist, but authors in particular seem to like
the videos because they can introduce the world to the work or characters who
live inside the books. Nosey has a child-like aura but he's not strictly for
children: Family-friendly but managing to appeal mostly to adults who enjoy a
good journey into the fantastic! I.B. is nosey indeed and almost never gets the
information right. He frequently ends up (not unlike the Three Stooges)
attempting to escape trouble by the end of his adventure.

Thank you so much, Owen, for participating in the interview and for offering us a peek inside the world of voice-overs and audible books. I'm sure readers want to know more about these promotional videos, so I now present J.Q. Rose starring in the interview by that zany rascal, I.B. Nosey.

# # # #

An I.B. Nosey Mini-Movie with J.Q. Rose

You too can be a "star" and promote your books and projects through

this creative I.B. Nosey video. Nosey interviews the author (or character of your book) in a way that entertains the viewer while introducing the story. You'll have a multimedia promotional tool that Miss Mae and Owen McCuen will help to promote by sharing with their thousands of fans.

It was so easy to be a part of this production. Miss Mae asks three questions and from there she creates a script for Owen. Patrick McCuen designs the colorful drawings, and Owen narrates and directs the production of the movie. For more information on promotional mini-movies, go to Feeling Nosey's site

If you wish to know more about the audio book process and video production, please ask in the comment section below. Owen will be popping in to answer your questions.

AND let me know what you think of my hairdo, my nails in the mini-movie. Do I look better with the camera shot on my left side or right side? Was the lighting complimentary to my delicate skin??? Thanks!!

Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening

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A to Z Writing Challenge

I joined in the fun. Writing a blog every day for 26 days in April using the letter of the alphabet as a prompt.

BWL Publishing

Talented authors and great reads

Writing, Publishing, Marketing, and Reading

Writing, publishing, marketing and reading are my favorite topics for the Focused on Story blog. My first e-book was released in 2011. You can imagine how many things have changed in the world of writing and reading since then. Stay up with the latest changes and new programs and technology to use in your writing projects right here. Let's try and keep up with this amazing industry and all the good books available by sharing news with each other.

Deadly Undertaking, Dangerous Sanctuary and Terror on Sunshine Boulevard, all released from BWL Publishing, are now available in all eBook formats and in Paperback.

Check out my Amazon Author Page and the tab above entitled My Books to discover more eBooks by J.Q. Rose. You may be surprised at the topics!